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Re: Riding fixed

I'd lend a fixed bike to someone who was used to riding one, but not to a novice. They take quite some getting used to, and I think everyone has a few minor crashes in the first few days of riding fixed. Chances are I'd get a bike with more scratches and dinks than the one I lent out.
Best bet is to buy yourself a cheap old bike and fit a fixed rear wheel to it. You could probably be up and running for under a hundred.

Re: Riding fixed

Originally Posted by London Standard

I'd lend a fixed bike to someone who was used to riding one, but not to a novice. They take quite some getting used to, and I think everyone has a few minor crashes in the first few days of riding fixed. Chances are I'd get a bike with more scratches and dinks than the one I lent out.
Best bet is to buy yourself a cheap old bike and fit a fixed rear wheel to it. You could probably be up and running for under a hundred.

Never found it that difficult to be honest. Back in the mid /late 60's, as a teenager, I converted my 10 spd Carlton Catalina to (ss) fixed and took to it like a duck to water. One memorable ride was Lancaster, Kirkby Lonsdale, Ingleton, Settle, Ribblehead, Ingleton, Burton-in-Lonsdale, Lancaster in one afternoon; the day after finishing my 'O' levels!
In my twenties I bought a Pennine Re Della Corsa Sprint track / road bike and covered lots of miles on that. The only accident on the Pennine was not due to it being fixed, but my own carelessness - "honking" out of the saddle up a slight incline with my head down, failed to notice a new Ford Capri Mk2 parked by the kerb, ended up sprawled across the huge rear window of the hatchback, with the handlebars wedged under the rear diff and my feet still clipped into those super smooth Campag Record track pedals!!

Re: Riding fixed

Nah! It isn't that hard, especially not for Fishbulb... I borrowed an Pompino once and ended up riding it round a mtb trailcentre within 10 minutes of getting on it... And I had only ridden fixed at the velodrome and never ridden a mtb, let alone a fixed road bike at a trail centre... Only thing I struggled with was the toe clips, as I am used to riding clipped in...

Originally Posted by London Standard

I'd lend a fixed bike to someone who was used to riding one, but not to a novice. They take quite some getting used to, and I think everyone has a few minor crashes in the first few days of riding fixed. Chances are I'd get a bike with more scratches and dinks than the one I lent out.
Best bet is to buy yourself a cheap old bike and fit a fixed rear wheel to it. You could probably be up and running for under a hundred.

Re: Riding fixed

Originally Posted by London Standard

I'd lend a fixed bike to someone who was used to riding one, but not to a novice. They take quite some getting used to, and I think everyone has a few minor crashes in the first few days of riding fixed. Chances are I'd get a bike with more scratches and dinks than the one I lent out.
Best bet is to buy yourself a cheap old bike and fit a fixed rear wheel to it. You could probably be up and running for under a hundred.

I never found it difficult. A lot of people struggle when they take the brakes off before they have the skill to do so, and thats when the crashes happen.